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Hospitals in the Midlands province have 68 unclaimed bodies in their mortuaries and government has since ordered the Department of Social Welfare to ensure they are buried as soon as possible.

Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Owen Ncube said he had directed the Department of Social Welfare to bury some of the bodies in the next two weeks. He said out of the 68 unclaimed bodies, police had since cleared 38 for burial.

"We have about 68 unclaimed bodies in mortuaries in public health facilities across the province. I have since directed the Department of Social Welfare to clear some of these bodies from the mortuary because they have stayed there for a long time and some might be decomposing. Out of 68 unclaimed bodies about 38 have so far been cleared by the police and are now awaiting burial."

"Some of them are still are under police investigations hence we cannot bury them. However, we implore the police to do their work diligently so that some of the bodies are buried," said Ncube. He said most unclaimed bodies were unidentified victims of road accidents and those from charity homes.

"The two Gokwe Districts, North and South, have a number of such cases if you compare to the other districts in the province. The majority of unclaimed bodies come from charity homes, or are the unidentified victims of accidents especially those who are not properly documented," he added. The state has an obligation to conduct pauper burials.-Online. LOCAL